Can it or more importantly should it be done?
The answer is yes and maybe. Running mature stallions together can be dangerous and in some cases have fatal consequences. There are a few things that must happen before running them together and this does not guarantee positive results.
1. Barbed wire...NO WAY! If you do not have proper facilities, do not attempt this at any time.
2. Females of any age withing hearing distance when they are first put together is a big no,no.... Herd stallions that have just been pulled from their herd are instinctively territorial. If any females are around it is only natural that each stallion will want to make a claim on a potential new mate. This can cause them to become excessively aggressive towards each other as they battle over who will reserve the right to make that claim.
3. They must be socially compatible. This means that they both must demonstrate a disposition that will allow them to get along without virtually killing each other first. If you own two or more stallions that are used to getting their own way (this should not happen anyway in my opinion) they will not be good partners together.
4. Nose to Nose. It is important to make sure that again, with no ladies around, each horse gets used to one another. The best way to do this is to keep them separated by a large distance for one week or so. This usually means separate pastures or pens that have at least 20 meters between them. Over the next week put them a little closer; perhaps 5-10 meters. When the next week comes around you can put them nose to nose across from each other. Now, some common sense must prevail here. Do not put them nose to nose with only a barb wire fence between them. What separates them must be sturdy, high, and will not cause them to sustain injury due to sharp edges or places where they can get their feet caught. Stallions that go nose to nose will automatically sniff each other out and paw at each other in a fairly aggressive way with much snorting, screaming and so on, so be prepared by having a smooth solid partition between them.
5. Never turn out more than one stallion at a time. If you have followed the above process, their should never be more than two stallions in a large solid pen at one time until they are calm and used to each other.
If you have followed the above guidelines you MAY be ready to turn them in together. Before you do ask yourself this question. "Is their behavior to a point where they seem comfortable enough to be together"? If your gut tells you that this is going to have fatal consequences then do not do it. If the stallions nose to nose seem like they have overall become pals, then you are ready to turn them into together. Remember common sense will prevail and no other person knows your horses better than you do.
6. Lastly, you can turn them in together but it must be in a large pen without obstacles where one horse can get away from the other without injuring them self. If they go at it, stay away as this is where people can get seriously hurt. They will work it out.
The biggest factors in this equation is; a) how well you know your own horses and b) using some common sense through the process. Turning in mature stallions together is always risky but running them together in the off season has its advantages including freeing up stalls or pens that each would have otherwise taken up. You may also experience less chores and feeding along with the fact that they will eventually be great company for each other. Horses penned up all by themselves for any length of time cause them to become lonely and possibly irritable. Less areas to clean up. Stallions will produce a large amount of manure in piles. They do this to try to cover up the scent of each other. Instead of cleaning a pen where manure is everywhere, usually there are only three to four places where large piles of manure will be present.
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